Treasure that's not Gold
by aspiringdreamerr
Summary: Ikuto finally found his treasure. Amu. But now he has to leave to find his father... amuxikuto, rimaxnagihiko, utauxkukai. i don't own shugo chara!
1. Don't Go

_**Hey! This is my first fanfic so please read and review! :) This takes place after the ending of the manga. Hehe enjoy!**_

**Amu's POV**

"Yo Amu," a familiar voice whispered behind me. I spun around and found myself staring directly into the beautiful midnight blue eyes of Ikuto. Tsukiyomi Ikuto.

"W-what?" I said startled and somewhat demandingly.

"Aw, you're blushing," he teased with a smirk on his face.

"N-no I'm not! You're imagining things!" I shouted flinging my arms. _Am I blushing? _I could feel my cheeks turn a light shade of red. _Ugh, I am. _

"Well what do you want? I thought you were leaving to find your father!" I yelled.

"I am in two days. You miss me already, don't you?" he scoffed, examining my face. He tilted my chin with his hand, coming closer to my face.

My heart started to beat faster and I quickly stumbled back. "W-what are you doing?" I stuttered. I looked away from his mesmerizing eyes, fiddling with my fingers. "And what makes you think I'm gonna miss you? Cause I'm not going to miss you at all!" _I know I said that, but… _

"I'm gonna miss you a ton though," he sneered, "A-mu." He came closer again and wrapped his arms around my neck. "Which is why I want to spend my remaining time here with-"

I quickly interrupted him. I wanted to tell him the truth. "Ne, Ikuto…" I trailed off.

"Hm?"

"When do you think you're gonna be back?"

"I don't know, soon hopefully," he shrugged, "Can you not stand the thought of me leaving you behind?" He smirked.

My cheeks turned a brighter shade of red. My heart pounded faster. _It was the truth. I was going to miss him. A lot. A lot more than he thinks. A lot more than I ever thought. _

"N-no, it's not that." I paused and thought about what I should say next. "But I am going to miss you. Just a little bit." _Lies Amu! Lies! _I hated to admit it, but the thought of Ikuto leaving was depressing. _Not because I like him or anything. That pervert._

"You're not being honest with yourself, Amu," he chuckled.

I grumbled._ As I much as I hate the truth… _"F-fine. Maybe I am going to miss you more than I had originally planned! S-so what? Maybe I can't stand the thought of you leaving. Maybe I don't want you to go!" _What did I just say? _I was shocked at my sudden outburst, and it looked like Ikuto was too.

"A-amu…" he said with his eyes wide. He shook his head and grinned, putting one hand up to his forehead. "Honestly… what am I going to do with you?"

I stared at the ground. My face was as red as a tomato. No way was I letting him see that.

"Is it because you like me?" he smirked.

_Oh my goodness. _"Why would I like a pervert like you?" I yelled.

"I don't know why, but you do." _Actually, I knew why. There were a billion reasons why. Maybe even more. But I'm not admitting that anytime soon._

"I don't like you!" I protested.

"No you don't… you_ love_ me," he teased. I don't know why, but I didn't know what to say. I couldn't say anything.

**Ikuto's POV**

_That child. Now that you've said all that, how am I supposed to leave you? _

"But you know, Ikuto…"

"What is it?"

"You annoy me. You're a pervert. You're a playboy. You say I'm a child when you are a child yourself. You tease me. You make fun of me. But… I'm still really glad that I got to meet you." _No, glad wasn't the right word. I was beyond glad. Beyond thankful. _"The thought of not having you around being the perverted playboy you are makes me sad. You've helped me so much and I don't think I can ever repay you for that. A-and I-"

Amu's eyes were trying to avoid mine. Her beautiful honey eyes. Along with that cute flustered face. _Amu, you really have no idea. You've helped me in ways you can't even imagine. You expect me to leave you when you suddenly tell me all this? I don't think I can. Amu, I want you. I want you more than anything in this world. I love you more than anything in this world. _

I looked into her eyes and immediately melted away. They were so bright and innocent. "I love you," I said.

There was a short silence but Amu ruined it by coldly whacking my head. "There you go again, Ikuto," she huffed. "You're always joking around with me! That was like, the what? The third time you've told me that?" She pouted, crossing her arms.

_Baka. I wasn't joking. But I'll let her believe that. _I picked her up like a princess.

"I-Ikuto? What are you doing? Let me go!" She struggled relentlessly, but it was no use.

"Let's go, A-mu," I whispered into her ears. "Yoru, come out," I said, glancing at the bushes. Yoru, Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia all came out.

"Okay ~nyaa!" Yoru shouted. He made my cat tail and ears appear and I hopped off.

**Amu's POV**

_Again? Geez… Ikuto's always going at his own pace. _

"Where are you taking me?" I yelled, kicking my legs. His muscular arms held me firmly and I couldn't get off.

"Do you want me to drop you then? Right now?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

I looked down and saw how high we were up. He was jumping from skyscraper to skyscraper.

"N-no!" I heard muffled giggles behind me. "Amu's enjoying it, isn't she?" Ran asked cheerfully.

"You like this a lot don't you?" Miki questioned, jokingly.

"Now now, let's not make fun of Amu. She is just a girl in love desu," Su said.

"Shut up you guys!" I screamed, "I am not in love!"

I could see Yoru giggling to himself. _I'm not in love with Ikuto! If I was in love with someone, it would be T-tadase! Yes. Most definitely Tadase! Tadase's kind and gentle and like a prince! But Ikuto's just a perverted play boy! A perverted playboy that's nice and unselfish and thinks of others before himself… What am I thinking? Ikuto is a perverted playboy cat! Nothing more, nothing less. _

Before I knew it, Ikuto landed on the ground. There were two neat rows of cherry blossom trees. _So pretty. _I noticed that there weren't many people around. In fact, it was safe to say we were the only ones there.

"This is my secret spot. Not a lot of people know about this place, but my favorite taiyaki stand is down the corner."

"Oh. This is such a pretty place…"

"Yeah, it is. Amu, you should feel special. I've never told anyone about this place, but you."

"W-what? You haven't? O-oh." I stared at my feet. _He didn't even show Utau this? _

Suddenly, I felt his cool breath blowing into my ear. He was nibbling on my ear! I quickly scooted away from him.

"G-get away from me, pervert!" I put my hands out in front of me, ready to push him off in case he got any closer.

"I'm leaving," he said coolly walking off in the other direction. He threw his hand over his head and smirked. Ran and the others followed him.

"W-wait for me!" I yelled running to catch up with him.

**Ikuto's POV**

_Stupid girl._ "I thought you were the one who told me to stay away from me, hm?" I grinned.

"Y-yeah but only 5 inches!" she managed to say. I smirked.

"There's the taiyaki stand!" she called out, running in front of me. Her pink hair bounced up and down as she ran. She was wearing pink and black thigh high socks with black sneakers. Her top was white with black ruffles on the sleeves. Her skirt was a bit short and it swayed to the side as she ran, revealing her pink lace underwear. _Cute. And sexy. I want her so bad._

"Hey Amu, nice choice of underwear!" I called.

"E-eh?" she said dumbfounded. There was a short moment of silence and then Amu's face turned red. "Y-you pervert! Ugh! Ikuto, you big pervert!" She coldly whacked my head. _Typical. _

"Let's get even then. I will show you mine." I leered.

"N-no! That's gross! Ugh, whatever. I don't care anymore. Just get me some taiyaki!" She cautiously pulled her skirt down. "It's just underwear anyways," I heard her mumble to herself.

There was a teen girl at the taiyaki stand.

"Hi! What flavor taiyaki do you want?" she asked. Then, she glanced over at me and started to blush.

"Hi," she said. She looked over at Amu and then back at me. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Amu immediately waved her hands and shook her head. "No way!" she yelled.

"Good. Didn't think so. She's way out of your league." She leaned forward, purposely exposing her cleavage. "I'm 17. How old are you?" She answered her own question. "I bet you're 17 too. But wow, you are the hottest 17 year old guy I've ever seen. No, the hottest guy in general."

She twirled her hair and smiled at me. _She's so annoying. Shut up. _

"If you want, you can call me. Whenever you need someone in bed or-"

_Shut up already. I just wanted a chocolate taiyaki. _"Actually, what I want is a chocolate taiyaki. Amu, what do you want?" I looked over at her. Her face was red. Not with embarrassment, but with anger. She smiled sweetly at me.

"I want a strawberry taiyaki. Oh, and I also want this girl to shut her mouth."

There was another moment of silence.

"Wait, do you have money?" she asked nervously. I shook my head.

"I thought you would," I said.

"Forget it, we'll come here some other time." I looked at the taiyaki girl. She was speechless.

"Wait, Amu. I've been to this taiyaki stand thousands of times. They've really lowered their employee standards. I should file a complaint to the owner. Bad customer service. Rude. Incorrect service. I mean, what is this? A strip club? Or a taiyaki stand? If I wanted some girl to sleep with, I would've already been to the strip club. But no, I want a taiyaki. Guess not…" I shrugged casually.

From the corner of my eye, I saw her smiling nervously. "I'm sorry for what I said before. Here, I will give you free taiyakis. Please don't file a complaint. I need this job."

"What do you say, Amu?" I asked.

Amu looked at the girl and saw in her eyes that she was being honest. "Fine," she declared, crossing her arms.

She gave us our free taiyakis, one of each flavor. As Amu walked off, I quickly talked to the girl.

"For your information, she's not out of my league. I'm actually her secret admirer. I share an unrequited love with her." I smirked and walk off, leaving the astounded girl behind me.

"Amu! Where are you going?" I yelled.

"Away from you!" she retorted.

"That's mean," I teased. I grabbed her and put her over my shoulder. "Yoru."

My cat tail and ears appeared again and I jumped.

A couple of seconds later, we were under my favorite cherry blossom tree. The one I carved my name into when I was younger.

I sat down with my back resting against the tree trunk and motioned for Amu to sit. Being the stubborn child she was, she on the other side of the tree with her back facing mine.

"Hm? Are you still mad about what she said?"

"I'm not mad at all! What makes you think that?"

_Oh, Amu. Cute. _"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think you're "out of my league" or whatever. I think you're sexy." I smirked.

"T-that doesn't make me feel any better at all! P-plus, I wasn't even mad to begin with! And what's up with that, you pervert!"

"If you're not mad, then sit here." I patted the area of grass next to me.

"F-fine!" She hesitantly scooted next to me. _So stubborn, Amu. _

We ate our taiyakis in quiet for a while. When I was starting my third one, I heard Amu giggling.

"Bahaha! Still eating from the tail first, huh? You really are a cat."

"Shut up."

"But this is really good. The best taiyaki I've ever had."

"Yeah."

**Amu's POV**

_Ugh. I can't tell what he's thinking at all. My face is like an open book when I'm around him, but his face… it's impossible to read._

"Thanks for taking me here, Ikuto," I said gratefully.

"Like I said, I want to spend my remaining time with you."

_Oh. Right. Remaining time…_

Then, without even thinking about it, my mouth moved on its own. "Ikuto, I don't want you to go. Don't leave me."


	2. First Kiss

_**Hi! Thank you so much for reading! I don't own shugo chara :) please please please read and review! It would just make my day hehe**_

_**Recap: **__**Then, without even thinking about it, my mouth moved on its own. "Ikuto, I don't want you to go. Don't leave me."**_

**Ikuto's POV**

I caught her big, innocent honey brown eyes staring at mine. I couldn't take my gaze off of them. _Fuck. You just made everything more complicated. I can't leave now that you've told me not to._

"Hehe… I-I was k-kidding," she said trying to laugh it off. _Don't even try. You're a terrible liar._

Yoru and Amu's charas were hiding in the tree and I could hear them whispering to one another.

"I don't even know why I said that. Plus, it was a joke. Forget about what I just said. Pretend I never said anything, kay?"

I wrapped my arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. I could smell the scent of cotton candy coming from her hair. "I-Ikuto…" she stuttered, cheeks red.

**Amu's POV**

His arms felt safe and warm and firm. _Ikuto. I… I don't know why but I want to stay like this forever and ever and ever. _I slowly hugged him back. As Ikuto whispered into my ear, I could smell his fresh, minty breath.

"Amu, do you still expect me to leave after you told me not to?" _What was that supposed to mean? _

"Um… I-I don't know," I mumbled. I heard Ikuto laugh to himself.

"I won't go," he suddenly said. _Wait, what? _

"Don't joke around with me, Ikuto! Of course you're going! You have to find your father and find out the truth!"

"I don't care about that at all if it means leaving you, Amu."

"You are coming back though! So it's fine!"

"I don't know how long it could take… For all I know, it could take several years. I can't stand to not see your face every day."

"Ikuto, you idiot. I'm serious! I know how important this is to you. If… If you don't go…"

"I know, you're going to blame yourself, right?"

"N-no, it's n-not t-that…"

"Then I'll think about it, Amu," he said. _This is all my fault. If I didn't say what I said, he would still be going. I know how important this is for Ikuto… and for Utau. _

**Ikuto's POV**

_Nothing is more important to me than you. _

It was silent for a few moments. I didn't know what to do now.

"Amu, don't stop using the shampoo you use now."

"Why?" Amu's face showed relief that I changed the subject. _Heh, idiot._

"Cause it turns me on." I smirked.

Her face was red again. "You pervert! Shut up!"

Out of the tree, Ran peeked her head through. "Amu! I bet you're gonna go buy some more of that shampoo now, aren't you?"

"Shut up you guys!" she yelled.

"Well just so you know, I'm spending the next couple of days with you. Yoroshiku!"

"What do you mean?"

"I told you already."

"F-fine. If you insist. I'm going to call up the others then!"

Before I could stop her, she was already dialing Utau's number.

"Utau! It's Amu!"

"Amu? What do you want?" a voice demanded on the other line. I could hear Iru and Eru bickering on the phone.

"Meet us at the old amusement park in fifteen minutes!"

Then she called Kukai, Rima, Yaya, Tadase, Nagihiko, and Kairi.

_Oh my god. Amu… I just wanted it to be you and me. Blockhead._

"Aw, Tadase can't come!" I moped. _Well, that's better._

Yoru and the others came out.

"Amu! I think Ikuto meant just you and him and not… everyone else!" Ran shouted.

"N-no he didn't! The more people the better, right?"

Ran, Miki, Su, Dia, and Yoru looked at each other and sighed.

**Amu's POV**

"Ran, let's go!" I yelled.

"Ok!" she said, "From a girl who can't fly, to a girl who can!" _That sounds familiar. Oh! _I smiled and thought back to the day when Ran first said that. It was the day I first met Ran… and Ikuto. I remember precisely what I had thought of Ikuto back then. I thought he was an ignorant, evil thief. He's the complete opposite though.

"Ikuto! C'mon!" I yelled as I was already beginning to soar through the sky.

"Ah, this never gets old!" I said, enjoying the breeze that blew in my face while hovering about the city. "I see the amusement park!" I flew down to the amusement park and everyone was already there. "Hey guys!" I called out, "Sorry for the wait! Did you wait long?"

They all shook their heads. All our guardian characters gathered together and went off on their own. "Good, then! You're wondering why I called you here, right?"

"I was in the middle of recording when you suddenly interrupted me!" said Utau.

"S-sorry… But I called everyone here to have a mini goodbye party for Ikuto!"

"Oh, Ikuto? Then recording can wait anyday!" Utau said happily,"Where is he anyways?"

I pointed to the top of the ferris wheel. "Come down, Ikuto!" I yelled, and so he did.

He turned the switch on to the whole amusement park. All the lights went on. Even though somewhere dimmer than others, it was still a pretty sight.

_I'm going to miss this amusement park..I wish they didn't have to tear it down._

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Kukai pouting to Utau.

"You put off your recording for Ikuto, but not for me?" Kukai pouted quietly.

Utau blushed and looked away. "Well, you aren't leaving or anything…" she mumbled.

"Still! Even if he wasn't leaving, you would skip out on all of your recordings just to see him. But when I asked you to come with me two days ago, you rejected me cause you were busy. A couple of days before that, you-" Utau quickly planted a kiss on his cheek.

"U-Utau…" Kukai grinned, "Do that again!"

"Be quiet!" she whispered and grabbed his hand. I wasn't the only one that saw though because Yaya screamed out, "Kukai and Utau are gonna sit together in the ferris wheel!"

"Okay, Yaya!" Kukai said energetically as usual, giving a thumbs up. He didn't seem to be embarrassed by it at all. Utau, on the other hand was blushing profusely.

I couldn't help but laugh but only to have Utau yell at me.

"A-Amu! Urusai!"

Two by two, everyone got into the ferris wheel.

"Ee-yah," Rima said, crossing her arms and turning her hand to the side.

"N-now now, Rima…" Nagihiko said.

"Rima-tan! Come on!" Yaya pleaded. Rima reluctantly got into the ferris wheel and mutterd, "Fine." Nagihiko followed her in and we shut the door.

Then, it was Kukai and Utau. They were holding hands as they stepped in.

"Amu-chi! Your turn!" Yaya said cheerfully.

"But what about you and Kairi?"

"I'm not a big fan of the ferris wheel," Yaya said.

"Neither am I," Kairi said, pushing his glasses up, "So we'll stay down here and operate this."

"Well okay then, Iinchou!" I glanced at Ikuto who seemed to be sulking.

I climbed in and Ikuto did too. He sighed.

**Ikuto's POV**

"Finally, I can be alone with my Amu," I smirked.

"M-my Amu? Since when was I your Amu?" she demanded.

"Since always," I replied with a grin.

"Pervert!" she retorted.

We were going higher and higher. Amu looked down and her face turned somewhat pale-ish.

"Amu?" _Heh. She was afraid of heights. _"Is my little Amu afraid?" I smirked.

"N-no!" she insisted stubbornly. I purposely kicked the cart making it shake.

"Stop!" she screamed. Her scream startled me. _I didn't think she was that scared._

I put both my arms around her and ruffled her hair.

**Amu's POV**

_He's doing it again. _For some reason, the moment his arms hugged me, I felt no longer scared. I didn't know why. "Arigato… Ikuto," I said softly. I looked up at him.

**Ikuto's POV**

"For what?" I asked.

Her eyes were looking directly at mine. _I've been resisting so long, but I don't think I can anymore. _I slowly leaned in and kissed her. Once my lips touched hers, I stopped all hesitation. I crushed my lips onto hers, fiercely and passionately. My hands were placed on the window behind her and I pushed her against it. I could feel her hands resting against my chest and reluctantly grabbing my collar. I opened my mouth and tried to French kiss her, but she clearly didn't know what I was doing or what it was for that matter. I slowly pulled myself away from her and smirked. _Innocent Amu. Doesn't even know what French kissing is. But then again, that was probably her first kiss._

Her cheeks were red as usual. "That was your first kiss, wasn't it?" I grinned.

"Y-yeah…" she nodded, looking at the outside the window.

"You're not a bad kisser. Next time, it'll be French. But your innocent yet passionate kisses really turn me on." I smirked.

"F-french? Y-you pervert!" It was so tempting to… _Nevermind._

**Amu's POV **

I was so embarrassed. Extremely embarrassed.

Truthfully, I was a little disappointed when he pulled away though. _No way am I ever admitting that to him._

The cart finally stopped back on the ground where everyone was waiting.

"Amu-chi, what happened in there?" Yaya asked teasingly.

"N-nothing!" I protested.

"It's okay, stuff happened to the other two pairs as well."

"Like what?"

"Well, Rima-tan is really scared of heights and when she got back down, she was clinging onto Nagi! She wouldn't let go, right Rima-tan?"

Rima shook her head, "Amu, don't believe her!" I laughed. I glanced at Nagihiko and he was blushing a little.

"As for Kukai and Utau… they were like lovers. They were kissing like no one was watching and as if they were the only ones in the world. Right?"

"Shut up!" Utau said with embarrassment.

"I didn't get to see Amu-chi and Ikuto that well, but I thought I saw you guys-"

"N-no you didn't! You didn't see anything at all! We were just looking at the view, that's all!"

"Hai hai, Amu," Utau sighed sarcastically, "If you say so." _Erg._

So now one thing was certain. My first kiss didn't go to waste. _If you know what I mean._


	3. Nostalgia

_**Hey guys! :) I'm so sorry for not updating as often as I had hoped! I really will try to update more! Anyways, I started another amuto fanfic and I was hoping some of you could maybe check it out? Please? :)**_

s/8396474/1/I_Bet_Im_Falling_For_You

_**Please read it and tell me what you think of it. And please read and review this story! Reviews and reads and follows really make my day!**_

_**I don't own Shugo Chara!**_

_**Recap: **__**So now one thing was certain. My first kiss didn't go to waste.**____**If you know what I mean.**_

**Amu's POV**

"Hey… Ikuto… are you really sleeping here?" I asked, somewhat annoyed. _Déjà vu. _

"Don't you have anywhere else to go?" I demanded.

"No, nowhere. I could tell your mom if you want."

Ikuto was lying on my bed, refusing to budge. It had only been a couple of months ago that this happened. It seemed so long ago though. _I guess you are. _

"Ikuto, get off my bed! You can sleep on the ground!" I said, "And… you're only here for tonight so whatever."

"Tonight , hm? And the floor's cold," he smirked, "Wait I should probably take my clothes off."

_Wait, what. _Instinctively, I turned around away from him. "W-what do you mean?"

"So I can go to sleep. Why? Did you think it was for something else, Amu?"" He smirked again.

"Amu, you pervert!" Miki teased.

I spun around and shook my head. "W-whatever!" Ikuto wasn't kidding. His white t-shirt and black pants were off. All that was left were his blue boxers. I was probably blushing like crazy.

"S-sleep on the floor!" I stuttered.

"It's cold."

"W-well, I don't care! If you're cold, then you can just-"

Ikuto gripped my wrist and pulled me in toward the bed. I stumbled; fell right next to him as he tucked the covers over me and put his arm around me. _I'm stuck. _

"Let me go, you pervert," I mumbled.

"Do you want me to leave then, Amu?" As he began to get up, I grabbed his hand and pulled him back down. "That's what I thought," he grinned.

**Ikuto's POV**

Amu was fast asleep. I looked at the clock. It was past midnight. The brightness of the moon shone between the window panes. I could see her cute, vulnerable sleeping face. _Should I take a picture of this? _I smirked at the idea but decided against it. _That might wake her up though. _Suddenly, she winced. Her eyebrows were scrunched up and there was a trace of sweat coming down her forehead. _She must be having a bad dream. _I cautiously leaned down and kissed her forehead. The feel of her skin against my lips felt so good, I leaned down again to kiss her on the nose. Amu instantaneously loosened up. "Ikuto…" she whispered. I couldn't help but smile.

I slowly opened my eyes. I looked up and saw Amu changing. I lay still, pretending to still be asleep. She was in her bra and underwear, looking for clothes in her closet. _Am I dreaming? No, that's not it._ I was extremely turned on, but decided to look away. _Amu wouldn't want me to see her changing. _That thought reminded me of the time she forced me to take a shower and had to change for her "date" with Tadase. _Heh._

I waited a couple more minutes and then opened my eyes. Amu was dressed in a black t-shirt with a cross bone on it and a short, ruffled white skirt. "Amu," I sat up, yawning, "Ohaiyo."

"O-ohaiyo, Ikuto," she said, "Wait here. I'm going to run downstairs and get you breakfast."

With that, she ran downstairs. Moments later, she came running back up with two pieces of toast and a glass of orange juice. "Here," she said, "Eat." She set the food down on the table.

"That was fast. Did you eat already?"

"I had one piece of toast, but you can have the rest," she mumbled, "Let's quickly go out after you're done."

"No, let's eat together." I stuffed the toast into her mouth and then bit on the other side. I could see her blushing already. She was about to pull away, but I pulled her back in.

I started biting down on the toast all the way to Amu's mouth. When mine touched hers, she pushed me away. "P-pervert! Hurry up and finish eating by yourself! And put on a shirt!" She huffed and turned away, pretending to cough out the toast.

"Ikuto, when are you leaving again?" she asked.

"In two days," I replied as I put my clothes back on.

"Oh. I see. Where are you going to sleep these next two days?"

"Dunno."

"Oh."

"Don't look so down, I'm investing my two days here with you," I smirked.

"I know that, b-but… I got it! We could stay in my cousin's beach house -"

"We?" I suddenly got _extremely_ curious.

"Amu's a pervert!" Ran said as all the charas giggled.

"Don't get the wrong idea! I don't feel right about abandoning you in an alley overnight! P-plus… I'm going to call up the others too! I'm sure they'll understand! I just have to tell Mama and Papa about this."

As she ran downstairs, Yoru flew over.

"Ikuto~nyaa, are you sure about leaving~nyaa?"

"Yeah."

**Amu's POV**

_Ok, honestly. I wasn't planning on inviting everyone at first, but whatever. _

"Mama! Papa!" I called.

"What is it, Amu?" Papa was in the middle of taking pictures of Ami.

"Um… I was wondering if I could go stay in Shuu's beach house for one or two nights with my friends…"

"That's so sudden, Amu," Mama said.

"Y-yeah… I guess so."

"Who are you going with?" Papa asked, eying me suddenly.

"Just some friends! The guardians and you know… Ikuto and Utau."

"A-amu…" my dad wailed, "You're going with boys?"

I tried to laugh out my embarrassment. "It's not like that!" I yelled.

Ami was looking at me with bright, sparkling eyes. "Utau-chan's going to be there? Ami wants to see Utau-chan!"

"Ami, maybe next time, okay?" I sighed.

"Fine, Amu, you can go. Mama trusts you. Thanks for being honest with me. I'll call Shuu and Eriko. I'm sure they'll be okay with it!"

"Arigato, Mama!" I yelled. Papa was sulking in the corner.

I ran back upstairs.

I pressed number two on speed dial. It was Utau. Number one was Ikuto… _but that's only because he causes me to worry so much! _

"Utau!"

"Oh, it's you Amu." _Hehe, Utau's trying to be indifferent again._

"Meet me in front the train station in an hour! We are staying at a beach house for two nights! And tell Kukai the same thing!"

I quickly hung up before she could say anything. I knew she knew it involved Ikuto, so of course she would agree.

_Speed dial number three. _"You've only called one person so far but you're on three. Am I your first one?" he smirked. He was so certain it was true.

"N-no! I-it's not y-you! I-it's… h-home!" I stuttered.

"Moshi moshi? Amu? A voice on the other line called.

"T-tadase! Yes, it's me." I immediately straightened up. "Um, can you stay overnight for two days at my cousin's beach house? Ikuto doesn't have a place to go and it's summer anyways. If you can go, meet me at the train station in an hour!"

I heard Kiseki yelling in the background. "Sure, Amu! I'll see you there in a bit!"

I hung up and then proceeded to call Rima, Yaya, Nagihiko, and Kairi. They all agreed. I smiled to myself. _I'm so looking forward to this! Umi umi umi!_

I rummaged through my closet and finally found a small black backpack with a cross on it.

"Ikuto, you don't have anything to bring, right?"

"Just my violin."

"Do you have money?"

"My old man does."

"So that's a yes?"

"Dunno." _Is he being serious._

I quickly threw in a bathing suit, two outfits, and my wallet.

"I'm going to go ask Mama to borrow some money since you don't have any."

Before I could run downstairs, he flashed out his credit card from his pockets.

_He had money all along?! _"You had money all along?!"

"Yeah."

"…but when we bought taiyaki, you said you didn't!"

"I do, but I don't want my old man's money."

"Oh. Then I could ask Mama to-"

"I don't care, it's fine, Amu. I'll just use it."

I grunted. _That's true. Ikuto wasn't someone who would take pity money or apology money._

"Go out from the window, I'll see you outside!" I slung my backpack over my shoulder and went downstairs. Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia trailed along behind me.

"Amu's really looking forward to this!" Ran piped.

"It's the umi after all!" Miki said.

"Desu," Su said.

"Bye Amu! Have fun! Have a safe trip!" yelled my parents. Papa had been whining about it for a while, but I guess he decided to suck it up. Then, he started wailing again to Ami. _Guess not._

They closed the door and Ikuto appeared. He picked me up like a princess and before I could protest, he was already hopping off.

**Ikuto's POV**

I stopped at the train station's platform. Amu jumped off, red faced.

"Amu-chi!" a high pitched voice called out. We spun around and were greeted by her friends.

All of them were had backpacks or small duffel bags with them.

"Yaya!" Amu exclaimed. "Kukai, you came!" He and Daichi grinned and gave a thumbs up.

"Of course!" he said.

"Amu, where's your cousin's beach house?" Utau asked.

"It's in Okinawa! Let's take the train there!"

I sat near the window on the train. The whole time, I stared out.

I could hear Amu talking and laughing.

"Tadase-kun, arigato for coming!" Amu said.

"I know Ikuto nii-san's leaving in a couple of days, so of course."

Suddenly, Utau came over and sat next to me. Kukai was following her.

"Ikuto, don't force yourself to look for otou-san," she said.

"Don't worry," I replied.

"Come back and visit whenever you can. Amu's going to miss you a lot. And your younger sister is too."

I smirked. "Yeah."

I noticed Kukai was tugging her hand. "Go," I said, waving my hand. Utau blushed, but agreed.

**Amu's POV**

"I'm not sure who the loveydovey couple is now… is it Tadase or Ikuto?" Rima teased

"R-Rima!" I yelled.

Rima started to laugh and so did Yaya, Kusukusu, and Pepe.

_Uwah! It's the Umi! I can see it!_

"Guys, look!" I pointed to the window. We had a clear view of the ocean. The sunlight hit the water making the blue-green tint sparkle.

"Kirre!" (pretty) Rima said.

"Honto," Nagihiko said. _Even Iinchou seems like he's liking the view!_

I sat down next to Ikuto.

"So I have another visitor, huh?" he smirked.

"Whatever! Isn't the ocean pretty?"

"Sure."

When we finally arrived, we all got off the train. It was humid and we followed a long pathway to get to the beach. I could see the beach house from the pebble pathway though.

"We're here!" I yelled joyfully. I took out the keys that Mama gave me from my backpack and opened the door to the beach house.

There were four large rooms. Utau, Rima, Yaya, and I decided to all stay in one room.

Tadase-kun, Kukai, Nagihiko, and Kairi decided to stay in another room. Ikuto wanted to stay all by himself.

"So hot!" Yaya whined, rolling on the floor in her swimsuit. Pepe was doing the same.

We had all changed into our swimsuits. Yaya was wearing a coral polka-dotted one piece. Utau was wearing a ruffly floral bandeau swim top with a red bottom. Rima was wearing a light turquoise bikini with small bows on the sides. I was wearing a white bikini with embroidered black lace.

We grabbed towels and met the guys outside.

Ikuto, Tadse, Kukai, Nagihiko, and Iinchou were all wearing swim shorts. _But wait. Ikuto didn't bring anything with him._

"Utau told me to bring an extra since she knew Ikuto wouldn't have one. I lent him my brother's."

_Hehe, Utau… always thinking ahead. _My eyes couldn't help but slowly drift onto Ikuto. _Ikuto has a perfectly sculpted stomach. Whoa, what am I thinking? Think about Tadase-kun. He looks so cute in his swim shorts!_ I wandered my eyes onto Tadase. _Just like an oji-sama…_

"L-let's go!" I said, trying to distract myself from my thoughts.

**Ikuto's POV**

The way Amu's hair was messily tied up and the way her body fit perfectly into her swimsuit really turned me on. _But only I should see this. God, this is so tempting.._

**Amu's POV**

_It… it really is the umi! _I laid my towel down messily on the sand and dashed forward past the shore and to the waves.

I immediately leaped into the sea. The cool water felt so good brushing against my skin.

"Uwah!" I yelled delightfully. I motioned for everyone else to join.

Kukai followed me and jumped in. "Oi!" he called, "The water feels great!"

Utau smiled and dived in as well. As soon as she did, Kukai splashed water in her face.

Utau being competitive, splashed water back in his face. Yaya then joined followed by Rima, Nagihiko, Tadase, and Kairi.

"Yaya wants to play too!" Yaya yelled as she splashed water onto Rima's face.

"Yaya!" Rima shrieked as she splashed water back. Then, Rima splashed water toward me. Pretty soon, we were all splashing at each other. Eventually, Utau and Kukai decided to a swimming competition. I smiled. _Typical. _I noticed Ikuto didn't come along. I swam back to shore and searched for Ikuto. My eyes wandered everywhere and finally to the spot where I threw my towel. There was a large group of girls circling around something. _Oh my gosh. Did something happen to Ikuto?!_

I hurriedly ran towards the group of girls calling out his name.

"Ikuto! Ikuto! Ikuto!" I screamed worriedly.

I reached the circle of girls only to find out that Ikuto was relaxing all nonchalantly.

His hands were placed behind his head and he was lying down on his towel. When he heard my voice, he opened one of his eyes. "Amu? Are you worried? Are you… jealous?" he smirked.

I shook my head. "Not at all!" I said, "I just came to check up on you."

One of the girls looked upset. "Ne, who is she? Why won't you talk to us?"

"So your name's Ikuto. Let's go have some fun, I-ku-to!" another girl said.

"Move, you're blocking my sunlight," he replied casually.

"Who is she?" the girls demanded, glaring at me.

"She-" Ikuto said, pulling me beside him, "is my girlfriend."

I could feel the blood gushing up to my cheeks. The girls looked sad, disappointed, and upset.

"Her? She's your girlfriend? But you're…! You should be with someone older and more mature-looking and hotter and-"

"Urusai, you're annoying," Ikuto said, shutting his eyes, "Now leave me alone."

The girls sighed and walked away all sadly.

"W-what was that about?" I asked, loosening myself from his grip. _That always happens. All these girls…_

"They came up to me and asked me if I was a model," he said like it was no big deal. _Well, that is true. His abs are flawlessly sculpted and… ugh what am I saying again? _

"W-well I'm glad that's over with," I sighed.

"Are you jeal-"

"Don't even think about it," I quickly cut him off.

"Ikuto, why don't you go swim?"

"Dunno." _Here we go with the one word answers…But now that I think about it… He was controlled by Easter for such a long time… Ikuto's never really had the time to have fun and enjoy himself._

I forcefully grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the waves.

He stopped me and hugged me from behind. "Ikuto! What are you doing?" I said, face red all over. _I need to stop blushing!_

"P-people are looking!" I whispered, embarrassed. He wouldn't budge.

As if on cue, an x egg showed up. _We can't really ever take a break from this. People are discouraged from their dreams every day._ I felt secretly disappointed yet relieved at the same time.

For some unfathomable reason, memories and nostalgia surfaced. _This was how I discovered more about myself and my dreams. This was how I became a guardian. This was how I made so many precious friends. And this… was how I got to know Ikuto. Sorta. _And at that moment, I knew that I had to return the favor to Ikuto. _NOT that I like him or anything. Because I don't! He's always helped me when I was in trouble and I simply don't like keeping favors. _So it was decided. I was going to help Ikuto find his father- even if it meant leaving with him.


End file.
